on conducting interviews

Since I started my now nonexistent music blog The Urban Decadence three years ago in April, I had the chance to interview different musicians that made up the Los Angeles underground community. That first interview I had done with Sahtyre helped me to find a way to mesh together my passion for music and writing, and I've been at it since that first post on April 11th. Going back and re-reading all those interviews, I wasn't very good at keeping things along the lines of formality, and of course, there are things I would have done a different way if I could. Like, I wish I never stopped with The Urban Decadence, and I wish I didn't lose my focus.

A year and a half long hiatus, a deleted Twitter account and a failed revival later, I was back at it again with Light Meets Night, Swagg News and Hip Hop Canada.

I'm transcribing an interview Sina (my partner for Hip Hop Canada) and I conducted as I write this post, and while listening to the voice of the interviewee through my earphones, it dawned on me that I will never get tired of this. Each interview is an intimate conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee, a chance to tell a story of one's beginnings/dreams/aspirations/journey/success (interviewee) and a chance to listen to the story firsthand from the source and pass knowledge to the eager masses (interviewer).

Hearing stories from these people and having them share their journey and opinions with me is an experience that I find inspiring. How they've kept trying, despite failure or disappointing outcomes. How they've kept pushing to better themselves. How they didn't give up on being heard, recognized, appreciated. Most of all, I find it even more invigorating when it shows that these people have stayed true to themselves, their integrity intact while striving to be the best at what they do.

This has always been a hobby of mine and I know that in the long run this may just prove to be that (a hobby), but I'm very proud to partake and contribute in the art of storytelling in its informative, journalistic form.